Tommy Wright: Players who can adjust to Crosby weather flourish at Pebble

The last time Crosby weather was a big factor in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Dustin Johnson walked away as champion of a shortened 54-hole tournament.

Inclement weather made its return to the tournament on Thursday as wind and rain led to a delay of nearly three hours, and Johnson is within striking distance of the lead after shooting a 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill.

The rain seems to favor a power hitter like Johnson, who finished 2013 second on the PGA Tour in driving distance with an average of 305.8 yards. Laird Small, director of the Pebble Beach Golf Academy, said the courses play longer as the rain slows them down, which can be favorable for long hitters like Johnson.

"It can be, if they can hit it in play," Small said. "The whole thing is to be able to hit the ball in play and manage the shots."

Mental changes are more important to playing a good round in bad weather than equipment changes, Small said.

"That's the equipment that they're changing: Their mindset," he said. "They're changing and re-adjusting par in their mind, based upon the wind and the rain that they had to play in."

James Hahn, an Alameda resident and Cal alumnus, shot a 3-under 69 at Pebble Beach to put himself five shots behind leader Andrew Loupe. Hahn, who tied for third at last year's AT&T Pro-Am, said he didn't have to make any adjustments on Thursday because of the weather.

"I grew up in this weather," Hahn said. "I don't know why they had a rain delay, I would have played through that in a heartbeat. I mean I was on a roll, they had to pull me off the course."

Stuart Appleby, who shot a 6-under 65 at the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club to finish the first round tied for second, sounded grateful that play was suspended.

"If we had to keep playing and Pebble didn't get the wet greens, I think you would have seen three shots worse by all the field," he said.

Patience is a virtue for golfers facing bad weather, and the delay wasn't an issue for Hunter Mahan as he shot a 4-under 68 at Pebble Beach to finish tied for 16th.

"We've had plenty of waits in our playing career," Mahan said. "It's just part of golf and it's part of the weather out here. I'll take 17 holes of great weather like we had " after the delay.

Rain and wind aren't just part of golf, they're part of the AT&T Pro-Am. The event was cancelled in 1996 because of the bad weather. In 1962, snow delayed the final round of the Crosby Clambake, causing Jimmy Demaret to say: "I know I got loaded last night, but how did I end up in Squaw Valley?"

The weather affects how the courses play, adding even more to the tournament's personality. While rain is unlikely for Friday, more precipitation is in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday. Small said rain will make for higher scores at Pebble Beach.

"The greens are so small that the elements of nature make a huge difference because the targets are small," he said. "If you're used to hitting a 9-iron into the green, now you're hitting a 7-iron. Wow. That's a huge difference from an accuracy standpoint. You're not going to hit as many greens with a 7-iron."

Small expects scoring to be lower at Spyglass Hill.

"Because of the way the golf course is constructed, it's more in the trees so it's more protected from the elements and the greens are a little bit bigger," he said.

At MPCC, wind could be the biggest factor this weekend because the course is more exposed to the elements. The forecast calls for winds of up to 20 mph on Saturday.

"The greens are very firm, so the putting over there is going to be very challenging because the wind can really affect the ball on the greens," Small said.

If Crosby weather does return this weekend, preparation could be the key to the tournament.

"I was dressed for it," Johnson said about the rain on Thursday. "I was fine. We were cruising.

"Wayne (Gretzky, his amateur partner) made birdie on No. 2 with sideways rain, so we were ready to go. "